


Proposal Plan

by NashidaKyouko



Series: Proposal Plan [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, F/M, Korrasami - Freeform, POV Third Person, Post-Finale, Romance, also posted on my dA and tumblr, korrasami wedding day, mentions of Bopal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 02:30:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3157817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NashidaKyouko/pseuds/NashidaKyouko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra wants to propose to Asami, but doesn't know how to go about it. She goes to ask Katara for advice. This fic focuses on the week before Korra proposes and the proposal itself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In the Southern Water Tribe

**Author's Note:**

> 4-6 years post LoK finale. Couldn't decide exactly how long after, whoops  
> I apologize for having so many characters take a part in this. Rest assured, this fic focuses chiefly on Korrasami. Kataang took up a fair bit of space, but is still a secondary pairing.

Korra had been fiddling with the metal for at least four hours straight. Crouching as she was, surely she had to be feeling some pain by now. Senna sighed, wishing her daughter would just come and sit at the table to finish her special project. But no, Korra had insisted on staying outside, even as it snowed, until she got it to look _just_ right. After finding the piece of meteorite that morning while playing fetch with Naga, Korra had gasped in delight and immediately began to sculpt it with her metalbending. The only time she had moved was to grab some actual tools and a few colored stones from her bag in her room. Despite not having said a word about her activity to her parents, Senna and Tonraq had easily figured out what Korra was up to.

Korra scraped gingerly at the metal for several more minutes, exhaling heavily once she was finished and falling back into the snow behind her. A grin grew on her face, though she had clearly tired herself. She grasped the completed necklace tight in her hand and jumped up. Tonraq quickly looked away, not wanting his daughter to realize he had been anxiously watching her for some time now. He sipped at his long-since-cold tea and quietly took Senna's hand under the table. The excited Avatar finally came back inside, her smile brilliant.

“Mom, Dad, what do you think of this?” Korra proudly displayed her art to her parents. The dark gray metal had undergone quite the transformation over the past few hours. Now it housed a ruby inside of a 3D structure, and silver waves adorned the edges. Tiny blue stones dotted the waves and the intricate metal work hung on a blue and gray weave that acted as a chain. Senna's hand went to her mouth and Tonraq's eyes widened. Neither of them knew that their little girl was capable of such artistry. Korra continued to give her parents a lopsided grin as she awaited a verbal reply.

Slowly, her mother reached out to more closely inspect the necklace, “Oh, honey, this is beautiful...” Senna whispered as she touched the surprisingly not-freezing metal. Tonraq looked at the pendant and nodded with an approving smile on his lips, and he took hold of Korra's hand to further show his support.

Slightly embarrassed, Korra drew back momentarily before gushing to her parents, “I'm going to propose to Asami. With this. I've been looking for the right materials to make it from for a while. The stones weren't that hard to find, but I couldn't find a good metal. I wanted one that looked nice, but also that wouldn't freeze her neck, y'know? Umm... I know these are made with stones and wood and stuff a lot of the time, but I've seen metal ones, too, and I thought that seemed like the best option.” She finally took a breath, “I chose red and blue so that it matches both of us. Red looks really good on her, so I made that the more dominant color... I figured that would be the considerate thing to do, y'know? Ummm...” _Spirits, I'm just rambling at this point._

Her father locked eyes with her, speaking for the first time since Korra had entered the house, “It's one of the prettiest betrothal necklaces I've ever seen. I'm so proud of you for making this and deciding to take the next step in your relationship with Asami.” Senna nodded in agreement as Tonraq carried on, “We know how much she means to you, and it's wonderful to think of her joining our family. Well done, Korra.”

Korra laughed manically at her parents' avid approval, feeling ever more triumphant. But then...

“So, sweetie, how are you going to propose to her?” Senna eagerly inquired.

…

“I'm sorry, what?” Korra felt the panic of uncertainty she had experienced before finding the last of the materials for the necklace rush back as she realized she hadn't really put much thought into the next step quite yet.

Senna hesitated before repeating her question, brow furrowed, “How are you going to propose, Korra? ... Have you decided, yet?”

Korra slowly sat down in the nearest chair as she tried to muddle through this next step in her not-so-well-thought-out plans. “Uh... I guess I hadn't considered how to do that, yet. Um. Whoops.” She flushed in sheer embarrassment. “... I'm going to go think on this for a bit. I'll be back later.” Korra started up abruptly and scampered out the front door before her parents had a chance to react. Tonraq and Senna glanced at each other as she left, a tad concerned.

Tonraq put a large hand on Senna's shoulder,, “Well, I'm sure she'll figure something out. It's certainly not the hardest problem she's had to face.”

Senna sighed in acceptance. “I would say I wish she'd asked us... but honestly, I don't know how we could have helped, since our engagement was relatively simple... and our baby seems to want some more... pizzazz...”

“True enough.”

 

Korra stamped through the snow, headed towards her favorite cliff to blow off some steam through bending. As she arrived, she took a deep breath and began to dance through firebending techniques she'd been working on. However, partway through she lost her balance on some ice and fell face first into the snow. _Well, at least I didn't fall off the cliff, I guess_ , was the only thought she could muster as she stood back up. “Aaarrrghhh, I don't know how to do this stuff! I want to be all romantic and everything, for Asami, but how the flameo should I do it?” Korra gestured wildly at the sea, then plopped down and idly experimented with freezing and unfreezing the snow and ice around her. Not two minutes later, the Avatar hopped back up and closed her eyes, brow knitted in attempted concentration. That didn't help, either—instead, she found herself breathing fire instead of focusing on the current issue.

Realizing she was upset more because she was afraid the proposal wouldn't go well than anything else, Korra felt a bit ashamed. “Okay. I should meditate on it. Or at least to calm down.” Korra sat back down and spent the next several minutes meditating deeply. She opened her eyes in the Spirit World and simply looked out over the array of colors and plants. Once she calmed down, she returned to her body and began to wander around the area as she pondered methods of proposal.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she found herself at Katara's bending school, but the sun was beginning to set when she arrived. _Ah, if it's this late, though, she probably isn't here anymore. I should just go home for now, I guess._

She pivoted on her left foot and was going to trek back home when she heard Katara speak up behind her, “Korra! What a pleasant surprise. Aren't you going to at least look inside before assuming I'm not here?” Korra jolted and whipped around to see Katara standing in the doorway of the little school. Hugging her dear friend and mentor, she excitedly pulled out the betrothal necklace. “Oh my, this is quite lovely. Seeing as you're not the one wearing it, I'm guessing you've made it for your girlfriend?” Katara smiled softly at the young Avatar's handiwork.

Korra released Katara and nodded happily. “Yes, I want to propose to Asami, so I made this today.” Before Katara had a chance to respond, Korra jumped right in to the purpose of her visit, “The thing is, though... I don't know how I should ask her to marry me. It would be nice if I could ask Aang or past Water Tribe Avatars, but I can't. I realized that I could still ask you, though.” Katara's eyebrows rose, “So, er... How did Aang propose to you, Katara?”

Katara sighed contentedly, with just a hint of sadness. “How about we go over to my home and talk there?”

“Sure thing.”

 

In the comfort of Katara's toasty home, Korra found a place to sit and waited for Katara to speak. She twiddled her thumbs nervously for a moment, simply hoping the story would spark an idea. Katara settled down in a chair across from Korra, not really looking at the young woman, but rather seeming as though she were looking into the distant past.

“Aang and I had been dating each other for nearly 10 years. I imagine we would've gotten engaged sooner if we hadn't been so young when we became involved. For the week before he plucked up the courage to ask me, I noticed he was behaving differently than usual. I think a part of me knew what was going on, but with him being the Avatar, I figured I was just misreading the source of his stress. That seemed all the more possible since he was just as affectionate as usual—no more, no less. He just seemed a bit off, especially when he was sitting around thinking.

“Sometimes I would find him whispering about things to Sokka or Toph, and since he would stop talking the second he noticed me around, his intentions became clearer as the days went by.

“One evening he asked me if I would like to join him on a ride on Appa, and he was having a hard time hiding his blush, which, to be honest, completely gave it away. It didn't matter that I knew he was going to propose, though, I was just so excited to say yes. So I agreed to go with him, thinking he was just going to propose as we traveled the sky at sunset, which was plenty romantic for me.

“After we'd been riding on Appa and chatting for over half an hour, though, I wondered if either I'd misread the signals or if Aang had chickened out of proposing. The sunset was ending, and still nothing had happened. We kept on flying, though. Aang suddenly turned around a cliff-side and began to slow down.

“We landed near a cave. Aang hopped off of Appa and insisted on helping me down, despite my having years of experience getting off of him on my own. As he pulled me down, he kissed me and spun me in his arms. Both of us started laughing happily, and when he released me he took my hand and lead us into the cave. Aang made a small flame in his free hand to light the path.

“Neither of us spoke for a while. I think we were both too excited. After we'd walked in pretty far, Aang stopped firebending. I half expected the cave to light up like the one we'd been stuck in when we were kids, but it didn't. I felt Aang tug at my hand, and decided I may as well trust he knew where we were going even without a light. It wasn't long before I could make out a bit of moonlight, and soon enough we had exited the other end of the cave. I remember the scene before us was so beautiful, I stopped in my tracks. Aang insists that I gasped.

“A waterfall with a little pond at the base was lit up by the moon and stars. It looked like the mountain had once been a volcano that had collapsed on itself, and now it housed this waterfall and a number of lush trees. There were even fireflies floating around. I understood why Aang had wanted to come here at night—as beautiful as it would have looked during the day, it seemed to _sparkle_ at night. He never told me how he found that little waterfall grove, but I'm so glad he did.

“I was so moved by the scenery that I almost forgot Aang was there until he started chuckling at my reaction. I felt the blood rush to my face, and I pulled him closer to kiss him again. I thanked him for bringing me there, and he just said, “Don't thank me just yet, sweetie!” as he let go and went nearer to the pond. He crouched down and looked for something. Once he found it, he sat and patted the ground next to him. I joined him and knew this was going to be it.

“Aang put his forehead against mine and looked me in the eye for a few seconds. I could feel his love all around me, and my heart was racing. He fumbled with what he'd picked up and held it in between us. Now it was certain he'd been here to prepare, because he'd apparently left a betrothal necklace he'd made there.

“You've seen the necklace Kya has, haven't you?” Korra nodded briefly. “That's the necklace Aang held in his hands. He placed my hand on top of it and said, “Katara, we've been through a lot together. Um... Obviously... And we've been together for so long... But I want to know if you'll be with me for the rest of our lives. I want to wake up in the morning and see you next to me, every day possible. I want to cook with you and dance with you. I want to have a family with you, and I want us to support each other until the very end. I love you, and I've always loved you, and I always will. So, if you want the same things I do... Would you please consider marrying me?” I found that there was a lump in my throat, even though I had known he was going to ask. So I just nodded enthusiastically. He asked if I'd be okay wearing the necklace he'd made, because he didn't want to make me feel like I _had_ to take off the one from my mother. My response was to unfasten my mother's necklace—though I told him that I'd take turns wearing each—and let him put the necklace on me. Then we kissed and ended up spending the night there in newly-engaged happiness. Aang wasn't always the best at being suave, but sometimes he really could do it well, and that night ended up being a perfect example. And despite what I'd said, I didn't take his necklace off for a long time, though now I've passed it on to our daughter.” Katara was glowing throughout the whole telling of the story, and the love she and Aang had was evidently still as alive as it was the day he had proposed, even though he'd been gone from this world for over 25 years. Korra may not have been able to contact the previous Avatars anymore, but she felt that the emotion that overtook her at hearing the story was not only hers. It felt like Aang was there, too, overwhelmed at his wife's fond memories.

Korra was feeling warm inside after the story, “Thank you for sharing that with me, Katara. You two had a wonderful romance, huh?” Without another thought, Korra rose from her seat and embraced Katara firmly. “Really, thank you. I don't think what I do will be quite the same, but now I feel inspired between your love with Aang and mine with Asami...” She pulled back to look a slightly teary-eyed Katara in the eyes, “What's important is that I make it clear that I love her, right?”

Katara nodded and smiled affectionately at the heartened woman before her. “Yes, that's what I think, at least.” Korra thanked her yet again and decided she should get home soon. As she was leaving, Katara spoke once more, “Good luck, Korra. You'll have to let me know how it goes, okay?” Katara waggled her old eyebrows at her past student, causing Korra to blush. Light teasing aside, Korra felt invigorated by Katara's story and well-wishes as she walked home, still holding onto her gift for her girlfriend.

 

Senna and Tonraq were relieved to see their daughter enter the house looking confident again as she shook the snow off her clothes. Beaming at them, Korra recounted a shorter version of the story Katara had told her and said she would be able to think of something soon enough.

Dinner was eaten as a family, and then Tonraq presented Korra with a small, sturdy box with many wave-like engravings on it. “Here, you should put the necklace in this until you're ready to propose. It'll keep it safe and she won't know what's in here,” he laughed. Korra thanked him with a hug and gently placed the necklace in the box before heading to the phone.

Shortly, the other end picked up, “Hello? This is Detective Mako, of the Republic City Police. I am also the personal bodyguard to the current Earth King as democratization efforts are made. How can I help you?” Korra chortled at her friend's professionalism, “Hm?”

“Sorry, you were just being cute in a kind of nerdy way.”

“Korra! Hey. And I wasn't being nerdy. I was being... er... official.” His comeback only made things worse, but that was just how Mako worked. “What's up? You're not coming back here until tomorrow night, if I'm not mistaken?”

“You're using a weird mix of formal and informal speech. Do you not get many calls outside of work or something? I would have thought that your sweetheart would call you more often.” She laughed when Mako made a loud coughing noise instead of answering her. They briefly exchanged updates about world affairs before Korra got to the point. “Anyway, I finally made the necklace. I'm going to propose to Asami this week.”

There was a silence.

Then, “Really?! You managed to find materials you wanted to use?” Mako's voice went up a bit in excitement.

“Yeah! I'm thinking about how to do it now, but the necklace is done. I can't wait to show it to you and Bolin when I get back! I wanted you to be the first to know I'd finished it outside of family, so that's pretty much why I'm calling. When I have a more solid idea of how I want to do it, we'll talk—Bolin, too, okay?”

“Awesome! Spirits, Korra, I'm so happy for you! You've been wanting to do this for months. I was about ready to take you to the Earth Kingdom to find some rocks you approved of just to get this moving.” He laughed, his genuine joy for his dear friends tangible in his voice.

“Thanks, Mako. Anyway, that's all for now. I'll see you the day after tomorrow, okay?”

“Right. Have fun with your date tomorrow night. Don't propose before talking to us, though!” Laughing, the two ended their call. _Okay, now for my nightly Asami call._

This time, it was Asami's turn to call Korra, so Korra chose to put the box away and relax for a bit as she waited for her girlfriend. Before 10 minutes had passed, the phone was ringing. Korra scrambled to it, always eager to hear Asami's voice. “Hey!”

 

“Hey, Korra.” Asami felt the stress of a long day of work start to ease away as Korra greeted her. Even something as simple as a greeting, and she just... For now, she continued to talk, “I can't wait to see you tomorrow evening. It seems like you've been gone a lot longer than three days.”  
“Yeah, I feel the same way. I'm sorry I couldn't bring you with me. I'll make it up to you soon, though. Promise.”

Asami toyed with the cord of the phone absently, smiling at her earnest lover's concern, “Korra, it's okay. Really. You don't have to 'make it up to me,' you just have to come back safe.”

“... Well, if you say so, then. Still, it's been a while since I've traveled without you. It's a bit weird.”

“It happens,” Asami shrugged. “So, you said you'll probably be here by sundown tomorrow?”

“That's the plan. I was going to leave today, originally, but like I said a couple of days ago...”

“... You had to finish dealing with some political frivolities between the tribes, I know. I mean, that kind of comes with being the Avatar. And at least it isn't a civil war this time,” Asami laughed more at her own joke than she probably should have, which earned more of a laugh from Korra than the joke itself.

“I'm going to come back through the Spirit Portal, by the way.”

Asami blinked, “Since you know your way in there better than most people, that makes sense.” _I'm glad. I wasn't sure if a boat would get her back when she said she'd be here._

“Ha, true enough. I wanted to come back as soon as I could, and because I was going to leave this morning by boat, I figured that I wouldn't be back in time for our date given the delays. So... Spirit Portals." Korra's words echoed Asami's thoughts, and Asami giggled.

 

They laughed so much when so little was said that it seemed like they were trying to impress someone they had a crush on. Really, though, they just truly enjoyed even the silliest little quips from each other.

Okay, not _all_ of the silly little quips, but enough.

The two women enjoyed a reprieve in their conversation to simply listen to each other breathe.

“I love you, Asami.” Korra whispered into the speaker. Asami blushed a little, more at the tone than the words.

“I love you, too...” She hesitated before asking, “Korra?” A soft hum from the girl told her she had her attention, “I've been thinking... Do you want to... start keeping some more of your things at my place, or... something like that?” That was more subtle than she'd intended. Really, she just wanted to be wherever Korra came home to. But that felt perhaps a little bit strong.

Korra was quiet for long enough that Asami worried even that had been too much, however.

“You don't have to, of course, but I just thought it would be nice. We're with each other so often, anyway, so I...”

“Let's do it.” The eagerness in Korra's voice melted Asami's worries away.

A few more minutes of talking, and the girls decided to get to bed—if only so that they could see each other that much sooner.

 

Once the phone was hung up, Korra couldn't hold back a furious blush anymore. It almost seemed like Asami had beaten her to the punch. Asami bringing up moving more things into each other's homes felt pretty close to a proposal. However, it also meant that Asami probably had no idea that the “political frivolities” in the Water Tribes were fabricated, and Korra had actually gone home to try and find the last materials for the betrothal necklace. Realizing that—as long as she was careful not to be obvious the next night—the proposal could be an actual surprise had Korra grinning again. She climbed into bed, still smiling as she drifted to sleep.

 

As soon as she woke up, Korra prepared to return to Republic City. When she was nearly done packing her bag, she went over to where she'd left the box with the necklace in it. Humming as she reached to take it, she paled when her hand clutched at nothing but air.

Quickly, the whole house was in a panic, searching for the precious item. Korra grabbed at her short hair in distress as she desperately tried to think of anywhere else she could have put the box by accident. Tonraq and Senna were turning the house inside out alongside their daughter when Tonraq heard a whimper from the window. Glancing up, he saw Naga looking guiltily away from the house.

“... Korra, was your window open last night?”

Korra froze, “Spirits, you don't think someone _stole_ it, do you?!”

Tonraq burst into laughter. “Well, I think you might want to ask Naga that.” He kept laughing. Senna realized what he meant and joined in. It took Korra a few more seconds to process what her father had said, however.

Korra turned red with anger as she dashed out to scold her companion. As she opened her mouth, though, Naga looked at her with formidable puppy eyes, pushing her ball towards Korra.

“Oh... Oooohhhh...” Korra turned back to the house, grabbed Naga's treats, and returned. “Hey, girl... I kinda left you hanging yesterday, didn't I?” She rubbed Naga's ears, “I'm sorry. We were playing when I found that meteorite, huh?” Naga whimpered, “You brought me the ball back and I didn't even look up, huh?” She gave the treats to the polarbear dog. “My bad... Forgive me?” Korra hugged Naga apologetically, and Naga licked her in return, tackling her to the ground. After laughing with her animal companion, Korra got serious again, though she was no longer as angry. “Naga, you do have to give me back that box, though. It's really important.”

Naga got off of her master and dug into a pile of snow nearby, pulling out the box and placing it in Korra's lap. “Thank you, Naga... Please don't do something like that again, okay?” Naga whimpered again, but then playfully nuzzled Korra.

Crawling out of the snow, Korra triumphantly went back in the house and wiped the snow off the box, checking the contents to make sure nothing had broken. Relieved that nothing had, Korra finished her preparations.

“I'm going!” Her parents scuttled over to say their goodbyes, indulging in a family hug.

“Korra,” She met her mother's eyes, “You can do it, sweetie. I'm sure she'll say yes. No matter what happens, though, make sure you call us the next day, okay?” The women smiled at each other and exchanged a more personal hug.

Tonraq then pulled Korra in for his own hug, “Good luck. I'm really impressed with the necklace you made. You're gonna sweep that girlfriend of yours right off her feet.” Korra and her father tightened their grip on each other in a loving bear hug, and then Korra was on her way.

From Naga's back, she could see Katara in the distance, and she waved at her before entering the Spirit Portal.

 

 


	2. In Republic City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the end~

Hours later, Korra and Naga emerged from the Republic City Portal, the sun setting behind them, purple and reddish as it had looked at Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding several years prior. Stepping off of Naga, Korra turned and looked at the view fondly, pleased at how far things had come since that night.

A hand suddenly touched her shoulder, and Korra spun in shock, only to instantly relax into the touch when her eyes met Asami's. Korra placed her own hand on top of her girlfriend's, “Hey, babe.”

The taller woman moved in to kiss Korra, and the two melted into each other easily. Asami's lips were always so soft, so enticing. Tempted to deepen the kiss, Korra managed to hold back solely because some part of her brain remembered this was a public location.

As their lips parted, Asami sighed contently, taking hold of both of Korra's hands. Korra grinned at the gesture, “Hey, doing that right next to the Spirit Portal... Almost feels like our first official date again.” She laughed softly and Asami's cheeks darkened. “We should go on another vacation there sometime. We haven't gone together for fun in over a year, after all.” Korra's thumbs slowly massaged Asami's palms as she spoke. _Maybe we should go there for our honeymoon..._

“That's true. We should plan something sometime soon.” Asami released one of Korra's hands, and the two began to walk towards the restaurant they'd picked for their date, idly talking about work as they went.

“I didn't think you'd be waiting for me at the portal.” Korra squeezed her lover's hand, “I'm glad you did, though. We get that much more time together, now.”

At this, Asami slipped closer to her shorter girlfriend, shifting her arm over the girl's shoulders and kissing the top of her head, “That's exactly why I did it... I'm just glad you got here when you said you would, since that means I didn't have to wait here long. I'd have felt bad about leaving work a little early, otherwise.” She winked.

 *

“Mako! Bolin! Your favorite Avatar is here!” Korra casually strolled into Bolin's home without waiting for anyone to come to the door. It wasn't as if the boys weren't guilty of walking in unannounced some mornings when she and Asami were all over each other, after all. Opal had also caught the girls, and even though they'd remembered to lock all the doors that day, the girl had used her glider suit to enter through a window to pick up some documents for Tenzin, saw through the window, and proceeded to terrorize the pair. Korra was still trying to catch Bolin and his wife as pay back.

She turned into the family room to see Opal half-asleep on Bolin's shoulder as he talked to Mako, though, so it looked like she wouldn't catch them today, either. The brothers smiled up at Korra, and Bolin patted the spot on the couch on his open side. Korra pouted for a moment, seeing Mako smirk at her failure to interrupt his brother and sister-in-law yet again, before taking the offered seat.

“Hey, Korra!” Bolin gave her a half-hug, his other arm pinned under his waking wife, who was blinking in confusion as she shook the sleep out of her system.

“... Oh... Hi, Korra,” Opal yawned.

Korra smirked, “Good afternoon. You two have a late night?”

This caused Opal to wake up fully as she flew off of Bolin, blushing, “Before you even get into your routine teasing, can we just nip it in the bud for today?” She pleaded. It did have to be a pain to have Korra constantly poking fun at the the couple.

Korra laughed, her crystal blue eyes closing in delight, “Okay, okay. Only because I want to work on planning the proposal with you guys.” Mako and Bolin sat up a bit straighter at the mention of the impending proposal.

“Oh, oh oh oh oh oh! Show us the necklace! Show us! Please!” Bolin fanned himself in excitement, eyes wide and expectant.

Grinning, Korra opened the box from her father and exhibited her masterpiece to her friends. Bolin tried to take it, but Opal snatched it before he could, causing his lower lip to protrude. Opal looked at Korra to confirm she was allowed to touch the necklace directly. On Korra's affirmative nod, she lifted the fabric chain and held the necklace to the light. Bolin scooted closer to her, eyes shining.

As the lovebirds fawned over the necklace, Mako coughed, trying to remind his brother that he wanted to see it as well. Of course, that kind of subtle approach was never going to work, so he resigned himself to joining everyone on the opposite couch. Looking at the way the melded stones and metal glimmered in the light, the oft solemn man found a smile creeping onto his lips.

“I take it you all approve, then.” Korra smugly quipped as she leaned back into the couch, hands behind her head. Despite her cocky behavior, Korra actually felt relieved each time her loved ones embraced her decision—and her metalwork.

Once her friends had their fill of gawking, the necklace was returned. As Korra accepted it, she scanned the room and frowned, “Hey, come to think of it... Mako, where's _your_ lover? I don't see—”

Face crimson, Mako interrupted her, “On business! On... business...” He looked away, abashed.

Korra and Bolin smirked at the awkward boy, “In other words, Mako didn't want you to tease them, I'm guessing?” Bolin said to Korra.

She frowned again, “Hey, I'm not _that_ bad!” Her teeth flashed.

Mako's blush was mostly gone now. He considered trying to earn back some dignity. However, he realized that if he said anything, his friend would surely find a way to turn it against him, so instead, he sulked. The other three openly laughed at him, and it was clear this was a lose-lose situation no matter what he did. Sigh.

“Okay, okay, let's not talk about _my_ love life right now.” He managed to look Korra in the eye again, “We're here to talk about how _you're_ proposing to Asami, not for you to terrorize everyone.”

Korra sure was exercising her smirk muscles a lot today. Still, she was all right with cutting the boys—and Opal—some slack. “Then let's get into that.” Her smirk shifted into a real smile, and between that and her words, the other three relaxed. “Here's what I was thinking of doing...”

 *

Almost an hour later, Korra and company had sufficiently tweaked her proposal plans, and she was now feeling very confident that this was going to be just about perfect. “Thanks for your help, guys.” Mako and Bolin hugged Korra simultaneously, with Opal joining shortly. Korra laughed airily, happy to have her friends. She exited the house, but was stopped on the porch by Mako grabbing her wrist. She faced him, eyebrow quirked. “Yes?”

The tall man hugged her tightly, a large smile on his dorky face. “I just wanted to say again that I'm so happy things are going so well for you and Asami.”

Korra chuckled, “Y'know, when we first told you about our relationship, we were unsure how you'd react, but...” She gripped her long-time friend, “You've been so supportive. A lot of people in Republic City have been upset about me and Asami being together, and it's meant a lot to have friends like you and Lin to back us up. Thanks for being there for us, Mako.”

The two separated. “Good luck, Korra.”

Korra smiled and took her leave. Next stop in the information train was Air Temple Island.

“Hey guys, I'm home!” Korra called out into the temple. The usual chorus of “Korra!” echoed in the halls, followed by the arrival of Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, who all rushed Korra right away. “Ooof, you guys are getting too big to all come at me at once!” She scooped all three of them up with little effort, despite her words. Rohan peeked around the corner, but chose to stay out of the hug. This was a prime opportunity for mischief while the family was distracted, after all. “Where're Tenzin and Pema?”

Jinora let go of her basically-sister first, and replied, “Do you want me to go get them?” Korra nodded at the offer.

A few minutes later, Jinora returned with her parents in tow. Quick hugs and pleasantries were exchanged, but Korra was too pumped about her news to let the greetings go on for long. Shaking Meelo and Ikki off of her, Korra pulled the box out of her bag, “I wanted to tell you guys something.” She opened the box, eliciting a number of gasps from her audience, “I'm proposing to Asami this weekend!”

Tenzin uncharacteristically pulled Korra into a very emotional hug as soon as she finished talking. “Korra!” was all he said as he held onto his old student. His abrupt action caused Korra to drop the box, but Jinora responded promptly, catching it with airbending. After the initial surprise wore off, Korra hugged him back, grinning at what she interpreted to be Tenzin's approval.

After Jinora handed the box to the ecstatic and bouncing Ikki, she pried her father off of Korra. “Korra, I can't believe you didn't tell me you were thinking of proposing!”

“Wait, I didn't say anything to you, Jinora? I meant to...” Korra looked away sheepishly.

Jinora sighed deeply, rubbing between her eyes, “Even though I was the first one to figure out you guys had feelings for each other.” She feigned offense, but she couldn't hold back a bright smile for long. “Congratulations in advance, Korra.”

Korra picked Jinora up and squeezed her tightly. “Thanks, Jinora.”

 *

Just before everyone was going to turn in for the night, Pema's shriek resounded through the temple walls, “ROHAN, _where_ did you find all of these spider rats, and _how_ did you get them in the house?!” Korra guffawed and felt happy to be back.

 *

Friday rolled around, and Korra was buzzing with nerves. Everyone seemed pretty well convinced that Asami would say yes, but how could Korra help but worry about her lover saying no? Yes or no, tonight would decide it. Pacing around her room seemed to be the only way to cope with that finality. Outside, the sun had barely finished rising. The woman had scarcely slept the night before due to excitement and anxiety. The mornings were still her least favorite time of the day, and her lack of sleep didn't make things any better.

She had a game plan now, but that only helped calm her the tiniest bit. As the day progressed, Korra went back and forth between being extremely excited and extremely worried, and she found she couldn't think about anything else long enough to get distracted.

Around noon, Korra felt overwhelmingly unprepared for no reason.

As a result, she began to try to practice her lines alone in her room. Facing the door, she nervously chattered, “So, uh, I wanted to talk to you about something today, Asami.” She paused to give the door a chance to reply. “Y-yeah. Well... I... You're beautiful. I've told you that before, but really, I'd like to take you as my door.” Flustered speech wasn't going to help during the real deal, so perhaps she was right to practice. Also, what the hell had she just said? _Spirits!_ “Uh, no, wait, that's not what I was going to say...” Korra coughed and tried again, “Asami, I wanted to ask you something. Could we go to the park and---No, the park is literally named after me and has a giant statue in my honor. Not the best location. Ugh, I thought I had this planned out!”

Korra slumped to the floor. Within a few seconds of pouting, however, Korra had recovered her enthusiasm. All it took was imagining Asami saying yes, and Korra jumped back up and went right back to practice—with a little more confidence this time.

Around 5, Korra couldn't stand waiting anymore and opted to get dressed early.

Thankfully, she already had an outfit planned thanks to Suyin's input, so she wasn't going to end up spending the next two hours changing her clothes over and over again. Taking the midnight blue dress from her closet, Korra made quick work of putting it on. Figuring out how to get her head in the halter neck was the only part she struggled with. This Republic City fashion stuff still sometimes seemed weird to her. But looking in the nearest mirror she could tell the dress was indeed beautiful. Light blue beads glittered around the waist, and the fabric was pleated. Her exposed shoulders allowed her to show off her muscles, but it retained an elegant flair. Hopefully Asami would like it, too.

Around 7, Korra left Air Temple Island and dashed to meet Asami in front of her mansion.

Before making the final stride to the steps, she straightened out her clothing and double-checked to make sure she had the necklace with her. Glancing up, she saw Asami's outline near the door, fluffing her hair, and a little smile grew on her lips. She wasn't the only one doing some final primping.

Korra knocked on the door, and her girlfriend happily opened it, greeting her warmly, “Hey, gorgeous.” Chartreuse green eyes swept over Korra's figure, and a blush tinted her face, “Even more gorgeous than usual, too.”

The buff girl blushed in return, as she also appreciatively took in her genius girlfriend. A red, silhouette-hugging gown with a plunging neckline graced her figure, straps falling just off the shoulder. The base of the neckline was embellished with jewels, and a matching broach held onto a tassel gathering around her waist.

“... Snazzy as always.” A lopsided grin graced Korra's face as she gave her favorite compliment sincerely to her partner.

“Let's go.” They simultaneously took one another's hands as they walked to Asami's car. Before climbing in, Asami pecked Korra on the cheek and opened her door. Korra beamed at her and got in the passenger side. It took only a few minutes to drive to the fancy restaurant Korra had made reservations at. Throughout the evening, Korra managed to mostly keep her cool, with only the occasional show of extra nervousness. Mostly, the two just flirted the night away until they were done eating. As soon as Asami finished her meal, though, Korra became more tense, much to her chagrin. Asami raised an eyebrow when Korra suddenly stiffened up. “Everything okay?”

Trying to collect herself again as quickly as she could, Korra replied a little too fast, “Yeah, I'm totally fine.” She briefly looked away, then back into Asami's eyes. “Um... I wanted to do something else tonight, too. Can we go somewhere before heading to your place?” Minimal blushing, thank the spirits.

Asami cocked her head, but agreed easily. “Sure, it's not like I had plans after this other than snuggling.” She flushed lightly at her admission, “I mean...” Korra giggled as Asami tried to think of something more suave to say, though the dorky girl couldn't come up with anything in the end.

Shortly thereafter, Korra took Asami's keys and insisted on driving them to their destination. Unfortunately, the woman still had trouble driving smoothly, so the ride a a bit bumpier than it could have been. Still, at least she _could_ drive now. Thanks to Asami's patient teaching over the years.

Finally, Korra pulled over and stopped the car, tossing the keys back to her lover and running over to open the door for her. Asami accepted Korra's offered hand and looked at their surroundings curiously. It wasn't exactly a strange or even remarkable place, by this city's standards. Just a little cove near the ocean, if a little removed from the usual hustle and bustle of the main parts of the town. “Did you just want to walk by the beach, or is something going on nearby?” Asami inquired.

It was just dark enough that Asami couldn't distinctly see how much Korra's face burned at that moment. “Actually, I wanted to show something to you.”

“Oh?” Korra guided Asami nearer to the water by the hand, using much of her will power to avoid showing too many physical signs of stress. Stopping them, Korra let go of Asami and turned to face her whilst beginning to idly bend the water. Asami eyed the water briefly. She still wasn't really sure why Korra had brought her here.

In the darkness, Korra carefully slipped the necklace into the water as she brought the water around her, making sure that Asami didn't notice the jewelry just yet. “Close your eyes for a sec.” Asami obliged the request. Korra heated up some nearby pebbles until they glowed, then brought them near the water. She did not put them in it yet, however. “Keep them closed and listen to me, please.”

“Okay?” Asami could hear the bending, and found it difficult to keep her curiosity in check.

“The other day, I agreed to start keeping things at your estate,” Asami felt fear for a moment, thinking perhaps her girlfriend had changed her mind about the decision... but that wouldn't explain the location and the bending... “Honestly, I felt a little dejected when you offered,” This time Asami tried to interject, “Ah! No, please, keep your eyes closed a little longer! I didn't mean it like that!” The taller girl pouted, but allowed Korra to carry on. “I was also excited to hear that you wanted us to do something like that, but I had wanted to be the one to ask you something about it,” _Well, kind of, but let's go with that for now_ , “Because when I'm with you, the nightmares aren't as scary—they aren't even as frequent. You make me feel like no matter what happens, no matter how much I might mess up—I still have value... Asami, you've been there for me in ways I never would have expected when we first met.” Korra started feeling choked up as she spoke, and Asami had a strong urge to embrace her. It almost hurt not to. “Sorry, I guess I'm getting emotional.” Korra cleared her throat as quietly as she could.

“When I was gone all those years ago, I realized how strongly I felt about you. I've told you all this before, but it still sometimes surprises me to remember how much it meant to me when I got your letters. Even though I heard from the others, too, it was you who I wanted to hear from. When I came back, and it became clear you felt the same way about me, I couldn't wait until things settled down and we could act on our feelings. And then for these past years we've spent together, you've shown me just how deep happiness can reach, and just how much love can heal. We've been all over the world together now, and I can't imagine a better person to have at my side, whether times are dark and threatening, or bright and joyful.” By now, both women had tears running down their faces. “I've never met someone as brilliant as you. Or as dedicated—as kind—as loyal—and no one nearly as beautiful. And I love you more than I dreamed possible.”

Korra arranged the glowing pebbles into the water and braced herself, “You can open your eyes now.”

Light green eyes fluttered open, met with the sight of sparkling water tendrils in the air around them, and in front of her stood Korra, with a splash of water between them filled with luminescent stones. The stones were arranged around a stunning necklace, and formed the words, “Asami Sato, will you marry me?”

It was nearly a minute before Asami could pry her eyes off of the show of bending and words. At last, she met Korra's eyes and saw the crooked grin and tears on that face she loved so dearly. “What do you say?”

“I—you—this is... A betrothal necklace?” Asami was feeling rather breathless, so speaking was hard. Processing the situation was even harder.

Korra chuckled, “Yeah. Making this is the real reason I went to the Tribes and couldn't bring you, by the way.”

 _Oh, why am I asking about that_ **now** _?_ Asami shook her head in disbelief at her own lack of priorities, then she nodded firmly, wiping a tear from her eye with the biggest smile on her face, “I'd love to marry you, Korra.”

Against her better judgment, Korra let out a loud “Whoop!” as soon as Asami had accepted her proposal, then turned red in embarrassment at her own reaction. She barely kept control of her bending in that moment, the necklace falling slightly and some of the decorative water tendrils splashing to the ground. Then she took the necklace out of the water and bent the wetness from it as she approached her new fiancee. Both girls had smiles covering their faces as Korra gently placed the necklace around Asami's neck. The close proximity naturally lead to the two melting into a loving kiss. Several minutes passed before they felt the need to talk again, slowly beginning to walk back to Asami's car.

“I tried to not make it too obvious that I was going to propose. Was it a surprise?”

Asami kissed her fully again before answering in a heartfelt whisper, “The best surprise I've ever had.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own LoK, obviously.
> 
> NOTE! OKAY. For the record: Most of my fics take place in /basically/ the same universe, but I don't necessarily think that the betrothal necklace is there in this universe aside from for this one thing (in fact, I never mention a necklace in my other fics, even ones related to this one through other story aspects). I honestly go back and forth with how I feel about either of them having necklaces. I do think it is a POSSIBILITY because Korra is half NWT from her dad, or Asami could mistakenly think both tribes do the necklace thing or something like that. But even when I wrote this, I wavered on if I really thought they would do the necklaces. Even still, I wanted to write this. Get over it.

**Author's Note:**

> PS, I don't know how to describe dresses. I tried, but [this](http://www.edressme.com/off-the-shoulder-draped-evening-dresses-by-lm-collection.html) in red is how I'm picturing Asami's dress. And [this](http://www.edressme.com/pleated-matte-jersey-evening-gown-by-js-boutique.html) is pretty much what I'm thinking for Korra's.  
> PPS, I tried to keep everyone as in-character as possible, and I hope I succeeded decently xD  
> Anyway, I hope you guys liked this. I have a little bonus ending that I'll post once I tweak it. [EDIT: Posted]  
> Please leave kudos if you liked it =3


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